NPC event attendees

NPC Ignites 2023 – Full programme

NPC Ignites 2023 is set to be another fantastic year, debating the hottest topics and hearing from the sectors leading industry figures.

On 17 October, we’ll meet in-person or online to debate what politicians really think about the social sector with Rebecca Gill, ROSA and Sunder Katwala, British Future. We’ll also explore how to improve philanthropy with Anand Shukla, The Henry Smith Charity and Cath Dovey, the Beacon Collaborative. We will be closing with Mike Adamson, Chief Executive, British Red Cross.

On 19 October we’ll meet online, for the afternoon, to explore innovations in impact and the AI and data revolutions in the social sector. Proceedings will be kicked off by NPC’s Sally Bagwell and Erwin Hieltjes.

All times given are British Summer Time. More speakers to be confirmed.

Tuesday 17th October

Full day online and in-person

npc ignites attendee

9.30am: Welcome 

We kick things off with our chair, Angela Kail, Director of Consulting at NPC, who will set out the big themes for the day.

9.40am: Opening presentation – Why politicians should take the charity sector more seriously

NPC’s CEO, Dan Corry will give the perspective of someone who has been in both the policy making world and the social sector.

10.00am: What is the role of charities in politics and policy?

Continuing the discussion, our panel of charity leaders will explore the key role of the social sector in policy, where we should be pushing more, and what mix of approaches can secure the best possible outcome for beneficiaries. Chaired by Patrick Butler, Social Policy Editor, The Guardian and panel members include: Rebecca Gill, Executive Director, ROSA, Sunder Katwala, Director, British Futures, Paul Kissack, Group Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Emma Haddad, Chief Executive, St Mungo’s.

11.10am: Tea break and networking

11.30am: State of the Sector: What is the data telling us?

What are we advocating for? Following the success of last year’s state of the sector presentation, Trinh Tu, Managing Director of Public Affairs at Ipsos Mori, will be sharing what polling is telling us about the society we are living in and where public attitudes are as we head towards a general election. 

11.55am: Is the social sector doing enough in the places and communities that need them the most? 

Moving on from the Levelling Up debate, in this session we will explore with Caroline Taylor, Chief Executive, Essex Community Foundation and Jack Shaw, Senior Manager, Workwhile/IPPR  whether the social sector operates where they are most needed.  

12.20pm: Reflections from the Charity Commission

Following her announcement to step down as the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, Helen Stephenson will be joining us to reflect on the role of the commission and the social sector.

12.50pm: Lunch and networking

1.50pm: Where social and environmental problems collide 

In this session, reflecting on the recent findings of NPC’s Everyone’s Environment programme of work, Nick Addington, Chief Executive of the William Grant Foundation will be discussing with Areeba Hamid, Joint Executive Director, Greenpeace and Lynn Perry MBE, Chief Executive, Barnardo’s how social environmental charities need to work together to maximise positive impact on those most affected by the crisis. 

2.30pm: Can businesses really deliver social impact?   

In this session, we will explore with Deborah Gilbert, Director of Fundraising, Communication and Engagement at ShareAction what lessons we can learn from trying to get the business sector to take its social and environmental impact more seriously, and how charities and funders can play a role in this.

3pm: Tea break and networking

3.30pm: Question Time

We put our panel on the spot and ask you to put your burning questions to them. This year the session has a focus on improving philanthropy — from whether philanthropy should be more open to what reporting to funders should look like, to what the new big innovations are in philanthropy. Submit questions in advance, throughout the conference, on social media or during the session. Panel members include: Cath Dovey, Co-founder of The Beacon Collaborative, Anand Shukla, Chief Executive of The Henry Smith Charity, Grant Gordon OBE, Chair, Ethos Foundation, and Kristina Johansson, Resource Justice and philanthropist.

4.30pm: Closing presentation

Where do we go from here? We conclude the day with a keynote presentation from outgoing British Red Cross Chief Executive, Mike Adamson. As he prepares to step down, Mike will share his reflections on the sector.

5pm: Close 

Thursday 19th October

An afternoon online

NPC event attendees

2pm: Welcome

We kick things off and set out the big themes for the day.

2.05pm: Opening presentation – Strategy and evaluation that’s fit for the future

Day 1 of NPC Ignites set out a number of challenges for the social sector. In this session we will explore with Sally Bagwell and Erwin Hieltjes, Associate Directors at NPC  how balanced evaluation can help us to answer these challenges and maximise positive impact for our beneficiaries.

2.25pm: Innovations in impact

What’s new in impact? This panel discussion with Katie Boswell, Associate Director at NPC, Jesse Griffiths, CEO, Finance Innovation Lab; Amir Rizwan, Relationships Director, Big Society Capital; Kully Kaur-Ballagan, Director of Research, The Royal Foundation; Nina Ziaullah, Director of Strategy & Governance, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Laura Abbott, Head of Involvement, Rethink Mental Illness will highlight areas of innovation and explore the latest trends.

3.30pm: Break

4.30pm: The AI and data revolution in the social sector

In this session, we will explore the AI and data revolution in the social sector and share examples of where it is currently working well. We will ask whether we can ensure that algorithms don’t exclude important voices? How we avoid digital and data misinformation? And how can we use this to support good policy making?  Our panel include Neil Giles, Director of Intelligence and Founder of the Traffik Analysis Hub, Stop the Traffik, Laura Hamzic, Director of Digital & Communications, Brook and Katie Rose, CPI Europe Director, Centre for Public Impact, and the session will be chaired by Tracey Gyateng, Data, Tech & Black Communities

5.30pm: Close

Event partners

The National Lottery Community Fund logo
Pro Bono Operational research logo

A great way to hear new ideas and information, and stimulate your own thinking.

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